


Homesick

by darkgirl11



Series: I Would Wait Forever For You [2]
Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Genre: Boruto is still conflicted but Shinki helps, Boruto is super conflicted, If you look closely, Iwabe & Shinki friendship, M/M, MitsuShinki, Mitsuki Retrieval Squad, Mitsuki is kidnapped, Naruto's kidnapped too, Sage Mitsuki, Sasuke is a good dad, Shinki loses his cool without Mitsuki, Urashiki is a good guy, both Naruto and Boruto, but it's still good, but still kinda cute, engagement ring comes in clutch, he befriends his kidnapper, hella MitsuShinki fluff, it's shorter than the first, it's the sequel bro, like it's sickening, nice guy Iwabe, not really but he tries, quick Shinki & Hinata moment, references to the anime if you squint, sad Shinki, some references to the Boruto movie, throwback to Pein vs Hinata, whatever their pairing is called
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-11 22:57:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19935907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkgirl11/pseuds/darkgirl11
Summary: Sequel to "I Would Wait Forever For You" and it picks up right where it left off with the Otsutsuki invasion at the Chuunin Exams. Yet, instead of Urashiki simply taking some of Mitsuki's sage chakra, he figures why take a little chakra when you can take the whole person and get all the chakra? It's up to Shinki and his friends to try to find and rescue Mitsuki while Boruto is forced to choose who he's going to save:  his father or his best friend.





	Homesick

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! I'm back and super excited to get the sequel out for everyone! I had a lot of free time and thanks to the inspiring comment and the kudos, I worked hard to get this out! So honestly, thank you for everyone showing so much love on the first story. This one is slightly shorter for obvious reasons, being as how it's not a walk through of a relationship so it's not going to be as long since there's not as much to say. It's got some little heart to heart moments so yay for that! I wanted this to be as long as the first but I didn't want to force anything. I wanted to feel natural and what not writing it so this is how long it is... don't worry... I'll stop talking now. But I'll end with saying thank you all again for reading! :)

“Are you ready, love?”

“With you by my side forever, I am always ready.”

The two ran past the people sprinting out of the area, paying no mind to the people telling them they were going the wrong way. They swerved around the people hand in hand, thinking that they would be ready for the sight they were about to see… but they weren’t.

They froze as soon as they were out in the cheering section of the arena. Pillars were crashing down all around them and there were ninjas doing their best to protect the civilians. Shinki looked to his left to see his teammates trying to find people and to Mitsuki’s right he saw Sarada doing the same. They needed to help their teammates. Shinki and Mitsuki locked eyes and nodded to each other.

“Please be safe, love.”

“Worry about yourself, okay?”

Shinki chuckled at the way Mitsuki said that with a smile on his face. They let go of each other and ran to help their teammates. Shinki made quick work of the pieces that were falling by capturing them with the iron sand and throwing them out of the arena. He even used the iron sand to assist Yodo and Araya in getting civilians out from underneath the rubble.

Mitsuki had made his way over to Sarada who was lifting a large piece of debris to free a man. She was struggling a bit but gasped and looked over to see Mitsuki smiling, helping her to throw the piece to the side. She reached down and helped the man up, telling him he needed to get out of here. It wasn’t safe for civilians yet it seemed it might not even be safe for ninjas either.

“I could’ve done it myself.”

“I know but don’t teammates help one another?”

“ _Friends_ help one another, don’t forget that, cha!”

“I see. Sarada, you should move now or you’ll be crushed.”

She didn’t understand what he was saying until she looked up to find a pillar falling over. There was no way she could get out of the way in time and she wasn’t strong enough to punch through it like her mother. She closed her eyes and cried out when she felt herself get shoved out of the way. There was a loud crash and that’s when she waited for the pain to come… but it didn’t.

She opened her eyes to see that the pillars had broken into smaller parts. Sarada looked around for Mitsuki and felt tears sting at her eyes when she saw his long arm slowly retracting back to his body, which was somewhere under all that rubble. She raced forward and threw pieces aside, desperately trying to save her friend. She gasped when she heard him under all the debris.

“Sarada, you need to help Boruto! Go! I’ll rejoin you soon!”

She wanted to tell him no and that he needed her help but she looked over her shoulder to see Momoshiki making his way to Naruto and Boruto in the middle of the arena. She had to find a way to get there so she could help Boruto. Mitsuki was right. She nodded to him and jumped away. Her heart told her to go back but her mind told her that Mitsuki couldn’t be taken down that easily. He’d be fine.

He had to be.

Shinki was looking around for Mitsuki as his father stabilized another falling pillar beside him. He couldn’t find his lover, telling himself that Mitsuki must have escaped by now. Shinki stepped forward, looking down at the alien that had invaded the Exams. He looked at Momoshiki and wondered what it would be like to fight against an ancient extraterrestrial being.

The black-haired male took a step forward and that’s when his father called to him in a stern voice, “Shinki! Don’t misjudge the battle strength between yourself and the enemy. You’re no match for them. Prioritize evacuating everyone right now.”

“… yes, father.”

He stood there brooding for a moment before he went to help his father with securing the pillar. He managed to look over in time to see the other Otsutsuki clansmen about to slash at Sarada but her father rescued her just in time. Shinki sighed to himself, relieved to know that she was safe. If she was safe then odds are Mitsuki would be as well.

Mitsuki had to get out from under the pillar. He took a deep breath before activating his sage mode. He shoved the pieces off of him and looked out to see Boruto on the ground, completely alone and utterly terrified. He was trying to use that damn ninja tool to fend off Momoshiki but he seemed to just absorb every jutsu shot at him. If Sarada hadn’t gotten to him then it was up to Mitsuki to help him.

He jumped down to the walkway and started running around the arena to try to get closer to the two of them. As he was running he had looked down at his form, sighing to himself, _at this point, it doesn’t really matter anyway._

“Shinki, I need you to secure the pillar on your own for a moment.”

“Where are you going?”

“Mitsuki’s in danger. Chojuro, come with me!”

Shinki was about to protest but his father left, causing the entire weight of the pillar to fall onto Shinki’s iron sand. He grit his teeth as he watched his father and the Mizukage run off towards a glowing form on the other side of the arena. That had to be Mitsuki! Where was he going? Why had he activated that power? Shinki was squinting at this point, trying to see what was happening with Mitsuki.

Mitsuki was about to jump down when he felt an immense pain shoot through his chest, causing his sage transformation to stop and then disappear completely. He looked down to see a red fishing hook dangling, it appeared he had been pierced by some strange jutsu. He felt his sage chakra being taken from him, screaming out as the fishing hook was yanked back out of his body.

The pain he was in was nearly unbearable, it was as if this jutsu took a part of him out. Mitsuki fell face first into the ground, shaking as he heard an unfamiliar voice, “This is amazing. Our techniques don’t possess this kind of power… the creatures of this planet are quire amusing. Yet, just this little bit of your chakra won’t do.”

He managed to turn his head to see the enemy, it was that Urashiki one that always followed the other two around. Mitsuki couldn’t move, he had been drained of his chakra and it left him in such a weak and vulnerable state. He glared at the man but he couldn’t even get his eyes to glow to strike even the tiniest bit of fear into Urashiki.

As Urashiki merrily trotted down the steps, Mitsuki felt tears stinging at his eyes. He was powerless to stop Urashiki from whatever he was going to do to him. He was completely at Urashiki’s mercy. Shinki and Sarada were busy. There was no one who could save him now. A single tear fell down his cheek as he prayed someone would come for him.

Urashiki was grinning as he reached down and picked up Mitsuki, throwing him over his shoulder like he was some sort of damsel in distress. Urashiki was about to jump down to show Momoshiki his prize until he felt chakra coming towards him. He jumped back with Mitsuki just in time to avoid sand shooting up from the ground from Gaara. Urashiki seemed to just be playing around as he spoke to Gaara and Chojuro.

“Oh, so it’s you. It seems you’re good at surprising people!”

“Release Mitsuki at once!”

“You’ll have to catch me first!”

Shinki couldn’t see it clearly but it looked like his father and Chojuro were chasing one of the Otsutsuki members out of the arena. His father and the Mizukage would surely capture that man. Shinki didn’t have the time to look for Mitsuki due to the sound of explosions being heard from the center of the arena.

It appeared that Naruto and Sasuke were trying to protect themselves against the attacks from Momoshiki. The chakra form of the nine tailed fox was in bad shape but with Sasuke’s help it seemed to have regain its composure. Shinki and his team gasped when a nine tails chakra clone of the Hokage appeared with them, protecting them from any other attacks from Momoshiki.

Shinki threw the pillar to the side and stood in shock at the planetary devastation jutsu that Momoshiki had constructed. There was no way they were going to survive the attack. Shinki surrounded his team in iron sand to protect them the best he could from the blow. Araya and Yodo clung to his side, feeling both of them shaking at his side scared him. These were two of the most skilled shinobi yet they were trembling in fear. Shinki couldn’t blame them but stayed strong for them. He only hoped Mitsuki was okay where ever he was.

They waited for death or even pain but none of them felt anything. The iron sand had deemed there to be no threat present anymore, causing Shinki to lower the shield he had created. The Sand ninja were at a loss for words. The arena was standing on its last legs but it appeared everyone that was still trapped in the stands were safe. Shinki looked around for the Hokage’s clone but it was gone, along with Sasuke, Sarada, and Boruto.

“Look! Someone’s attacking that Otsutsuki guy!”

Shinki looked out to where Yodo was pointing and saw none other than Boruto’s mother, Hinata. She was standing before her fallen husband, saying something to Momoshiki that none of them could hear. Araya was shaking, fearing that Shinki would tell him that he and Yodo needed to go out there and help her. He looked over to see Yodo staring at Shinki as if she was waiting for his okay to go help.

Shinki remained silent as he watched Hinata try her best to defend Naruto. She was no match for Momoshiki and it appeared that she knew that. Shinki admired her for fighting even though she knew she would only lose. The team watched as Kinshiki appeared and slammed her into the ground. She wouldn’t be getting up after that blow.

“Shinki, we need to do something!”

He nodded, Yodo was right. There was no one else who was going to save Naruto now. It was up to them. Shinki and his team slid down the walls of the arena and then ran at the two males. Shinki could’ve sworn he saw a smirk on Momoshiki’s face before he and Kinshiki disappeared in the blink of an eye. The team broke off their run in front of Hinata, each of them looking around for Naruto or even the two Otsutsuki clansmen but found nothing. They were gone.

The three ninjas dropped down, trying to assist Hinata the best they could. Shinki had instructed Araya to go get help, who nodded and sprinted out towards the village. Yodo was no medical ninja but she knew enough about simple first aid to use her own sleeves as bandages to stop Hinata’s bleeding. Shinki just stared at the woman, she was fully conscious yet she wore a disappointed look on her face.

“Why… why would you fight them? You could have died.”

“Because… I never go back on my word.”

“Wh-what are you- “

“… because that’s my ninja way.”

Hinata lost consciousness before Shinki could ask her anything else. He sat there dumbfounded at her. She could have died out there but she still fought. Shinki wanted to call her foolish but at the same time he couldn’t. He knew that if it was Mitsuki out there in that situation he would’ve been out there fighting for him. That’s what you do when you love someone.

Araya came back with Sarada’s mother and the three teammates watched as Sakura carried Hinata away. As the three were leaving the arena they saw people being carried on stretchers to the hospital. Shinki couldn’t find Mitsuki or his teammates anywhere. It was starting to make him a little nervous until a boy with a hat walked over.

The boy seemed to have one long strand of hair in his face as if it refused to stay in the hat. He walked over to Shinki with a few others behind him. Araya tilted his head as he realized that Inojin was following behind. Araya gave a gentle nudge to Shinki as if to tell him that these were Mitsuki’s friends.

“My name’s Iwabe and I’m a friend of Mitsuki’s.”

“I’m Shinki. My teammates are Araya and Yodo.”

“I know who you all are. I know you’re probably looking for Mitsuki, too.”

“Do you know where Mitsuki and his teammates are?”

Iwabe let out a deep sigh, not even trying to hide his distress. The Leaf ninja shrugged his shoulders before stating, “I heard Sarada and Boruto were saved by Sasuke while Lord Seventh took the hit for the village. I haven’t heard anything about Mitsuki but, I’m sure we could find him and his team at the hospital. A lot of people have been brought there so we should go, too.”

Shinki nodded and followed Iwabe and his friends to the hospital. Shinki was surprised that Araya and Yodo tagged along yet part of him was noticing how they didn’t come because they felt that they had to. They came with him because they wanted to. Shinki sighed internally, he didn’t realize how much he felt he needed the two of them beside him. They couldn’t give him the same level of comfort that Mitsuki brought to him but they brought comfort, nonetheless.

The hospital had people running around frantically but no one could blame them, given all that had happened moments ago. Iwabe had made it to the front desk and was talking to the woman at the counter, asking her for the names of their friends if they were checked into the hospital. There was a grim look on Iwabe’s face as he was given the names. Iwabe nodded and slowly walked over to Shinki.

“Boruto and Sarada are here but Mitsuki’s not checked into the hospital.”

Shinki’s face held no emotion but the iron sand coat he was wearing was moving around erratically. It was almost as if the iron sand was displeased and almost angry with the news that Shinki had been given. Yodo was about to reach out to put a hand on his shoulder when people burst through the doors. Everyone gasped at the sight of Gaara and Chojuro. They appeared a bit ragged looking but Shinki was thankful he was alive.

Gaara walked towards his son with a solemn look on his face. They were a mere foot apart when Gaara chose to stop. He felt his heart ache as he told his son, “Shinki… Urashiki ambushed Mitsuki. Chojuro and I went after him to rescue Mitsuki but… Urashiki got away. I… I’m sorry that I let you down.”

The whole world seemed to move in slow motion as Shinki dropped to his knees. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to stop himself from crying but the tears came out anyways. His father was the Kazekage. His father was supposed to be the strongest man in the world to Shinki. Mitsuki was supposed to stay safe. Mitsuki was supposed to marry him one day. Everything Shinki believed was a lie. His father failed him and Mitsuki was gone.

The iron sand shot out, creating a sandstorm as Shinki screamed. All these voices were in his head telling him that Mitsuki was as good as dead right now. The voices were telling him that if his father couldn’t save Mitsuki then who could? The voices were telling him that he had let Mitsuki down. The voices reminded him that he told Mitsuki he was trying to be strong for him. The voices reminded him how he wasn’t enough to protect Mitsuki.

In the end, he realized the voices were right.

He could barely hear Iwabe yelling for him to stop the iron sandstorm. He barely heard Yodo and Araya telling him to calm down. He barely heard Chojuro calling to him, telling him that everything was going to be okay. The only voice he could hear crystal clear was his father telling him that he was not alone in his suffering. Shinki gasped as he felt someone grab onto him and hold him close.

Shinki fought back in the strong arms until he just allowed himself to cry in their embrace. He looked up and realized he was not in the arms of his father, but in the arms of Iwabe. Shinki gasped as he felt tears falling onto his own face. He was silent as he heard Iwabe whisper angrily, “You’re not the only one who lost him. I lost him, too… we all did.”

It was after Iwabe said that that his own team got down and hugged him. Shinki was shaking as he looked around to see all of Mitsuki’s friends around them embracing them. Shinki could only cry harder as he realized Mitsuki was not only loved by him, but he was loved by those around him.

This was all the more reason to get Mitsuki back.

* * *

Mitsuki’s yellow eyes slowly fluttered open, his eyes were going in and out of focus until he finally adjusted to the lack of lighting. He looked around, it appeared as though he was in a different world or was it a different dimension? Mitsuki didn’t really care either way. All he knew was that he was a long way from home.

His body racked with pain as he moved, trying to get himself to stand up. He staggered to his feet only to fall forward onto his hands and knees. His body felt exhausted, as if the chakra had been drained from his body. He managed to lean against a rock, breathing heavily while doing so. He looked at his left hand and tried to perform medical ninjutsu on himself.

“I was wondering when you’d wake up.”

“What do you want from me?”

“You’re a quite the fighter, aren’t you, Mitsuki?”

“I’m not too keen on fighting most of the time but I’ll fight you if I must.”

Urashiki floated down and walked over to Mitsuki with an arrogant smile on his face. Mitsuki decided he didn’t like that smile. Urashiki was amused by Mitsuki. He wasn’t like all the other humans who were either a full-blown ninja or they were regular, every day people with no skills as a ninja. But here was Mitsuki, someone who didn’t consider themselves a full-blown ninja but wouldn’t consider himself regular by any means. Mitsuki was different.

“Tell me about yourself, Mitsuki. I want to know what makes you tick.”

“And what makes you think I would engage in such a conversation with you?”

What an amusing child. Urashiki reached for his fishing rod and pointed it at Mitsuki, yet the other male did not flinch in the slightest. Urashiki kept that arrogant smile on his face as he answered, “Because if you don’t I won’t hesitate to steal more of your chakra and this time, I’ll make sure I suck you dry so that you’d be nothing but a corpse when I’m done with you.”

Mitsuki glared at him, a faint glow of yellow could be seen but it didn’t last. Mitsuki stared back at Urashiki, this man was odd. Anyone else would’ve already tortured or killed him but he didn’t. He actually wanted to know who he was and it was somewhat scary when Mitsuki thought about it. Urashiki was different.

The blue haired ninja didn’t even blink as he stated, “I was created in a test tube to be the perfect synthetic human. In my travels across the lands I’ve killed countless ninja. I’ve stared in a mirror and punched it to shatters, collected the pieces and picked out a dagger. I’ve tasted blood and it is sweet. I’m unusually tired and angry but somebody should be.”

Urashiki was laughing at Mitsuki. He literally leaned back and howled in laughter. Mitsuki showed no emotion on his face. He had told him the truth. He was brought into the world to complete his parent’s missions, most of which consisted of him killing people. Mitsuki was no innocent being and that needed to be known. Urashiki suddenly reached forward and grabbed Mitsuki’s face, a shit-eating grin was on his face.

“Come on, little angel, give me a smile!”

“I don’t owe you a God damn thing.”

“You’re different, you know that? I might just keep you.”

“Keep me?”

The Otsutsuki slowly released Mitsuki’s face, slight disappointment on his face when Mitsuki refused to smile. Urashiki was walking around Mitsuki’s rock as he replied, “You’re not like those humans, in fact, you’re not even fully human. That means that you weren’t meant to walk amongst them. You were meant to walk over them. You hold a power that no ordinary human could possess. You were meant to walk at our side.”

Mitsuki stared at the alien in disbelief, was he actually telling the truth? Mitsuki shook his head, causing Urashiki to stand in front of him as if he was waiting for Mitsuki to talk. The smaller male looked into those pale eyes as he asked with a bit of venom in his voice, “And how could I be sure I could trust your words? How could you be certain your clan would approve of the likes of me? I may not be fully human but I’m not like you, either.”

Urashiki was chuckling at Mitsuki’s words before answering, “Truth be told, I don’t think Momoshiki or Kinshiki would let you live. You’re smart, you know that? I’ve really enjoyed our little talk and I’ve enjoyed your chakra even more so. That’s why I want to keep you with me. I wouldn’t want the others to get their hands on you. We could walk over the humans together, you and me, Mitsuki.”

“You only want me for my sage chakra… you want to keep me as a pet.”

“It’s true, I can’t do what you can but I really have enjoyed our little talk.”

“You’re just toying with me.”

“I’m far too impatient of a being to toy with you, Mitsuki.”

Mitsuki was about to fall to the ground but the impact never came. Instead, Urashiki had caught him and rested him on the ground. Mitsuki was confused as he felt Urashiki move him so that he could use the rock as a back rest. Why was he being so gentle with him? Mitsuki was so confused by this being.

Urashiki began floating in front of Mitsuki, staring as if he was waiting for the other male to say something. Mitsuki gave in and questioned the older male, “Why is it that an ancient extraterrestrial being like yourself cannot achieve sage mode or even a sage transformation? You hold such visual prowess but cannot become a sage?”

The other male shook his head with a smile before stating, “Sage mode is achievable, just look back at Hagoromo Otsutsuki. He was the Sage of the Six Paths but none of us have been able to achieve it ever since him. With your sage chakra I could infuse it with my own so that I could become as powerful as he was. I don’t have enough of your sage chakra so I took you and brought you here to take more.”

“And what will you do after you’ve taken most of my sage chakra?”

“I’d have everything at that point. I’d be unstoppable.”

Mitsuki nodded back at his answer. Mitsuki looked up at the other male and couldn’t help but ask him, “Have you ever been in love? You’ve been around an awfully long time so surely you’ve had someone to love and protect.”

Urashiki was taken back by that question. He thought about it for a moment before replying, “In all my years I haven’t allowed myself to grow that close to another one to feel such emotions like love. You’ve been the only person I’ve grown close to and even now I know I don’t love you. I like you, Mitsuki, but it’s not enough to stop me from completing my mission.”

Urashiki’s eyes widened at the sight of Mitsuki smiling. It looked fake but it also looked like Mitsuki had never truly learned how to smile. Urashiki lifted Mitsuki and placed him on a rock in the middle of a seal that resembled what the Akatsuki used to extract the tailed beasts from their hosts. Urashiki would have to harbor his chakra for a while before he had enough to suck Mitsuki’s safe chakra from him.

Mitsuki continued to smile as he looked into Urashiki’s pale eyes, “For what it’s worth, I’ve enjoyed my time here. I was wary of you at first but after getting to know you I don’t think you’re as bad as you seem. I’m in no condition to fight you nor am I in any condition to resist what you are about to do. I know you have a mission to complete but I just request that if I don’t make it out alive that you bring my body back to my world, please.”

“It won’t kill you but you’ll wish you were dead.”

* * *

Shinki was waiting at the side of Sarada’s hospital bed, waiting for her to wake up. He looked down to see her face contorted in pain before she shot up, panting heavily. She looked around the room as if she didn’t believe that she was supposed to be there. Then onyx eyes found chocolate eyes. Sarada seemed to try to look around Shinki as if someone else was supposed to be there with him.

“Shinki, what happened? Where is everyone?”

“Lord Seventh saved the village but in turn was captured by those Otsutsuki clansmen.”

“Where’s Boruto and Mitsuki? We need to save Lord Seventh!”

Sarada missed how Shinki flinched at his lover’s name. Shinki nodded to her and motioned for her to follow him. She immediately got out of bed and followed Shinki to another room where Shikadai was waiting for Boruto to wake up. Sarada instantly raced to Boruto’s side before glaring at him and shaking him until he woke up.

“I’m awake already, quit shaking me, you know!”

She released him and Boruto was able to sit up against the back of the bed. He looked around at the people who surrounded him. He looked around the room, expecting to find another familiar face with him but there was no one else. He gripped the bed sheets before asking softly, “So where’s Mitsuki if he’s not in the bed next to me?”

All eyes were on Shinki at this point. He showed no emotion as he walked over to the window in the room and stared out at the full moon. He couldn't help but glare at the wall before punching it, shocking the other two in the room. Shinki didn't look at them as he hissed, “That damn Otsutsuki took Mitsuki…”

“Shinki… th-there’s just no way…”

“My father told me Urashiki escaped with Mitsuki.”

“We gotta get him back!”

Just as Boruto was about to get up to make a run for his uncle Sasuke, Shikadai grabbed his wrist. Shikadai didn’t want to have to say it but he had to be reasonable, “Boruto, your dad was taken by Momoshiki. At the point, it pains me to say it but your dad is going to take priority over Mitsuki so until we can get your dad back we can’t do anything to help Mitsuki. Our best way to help Mitsuki is to get your dad back.”

The blonde grit his teeth, he hated how Shikadai was right. He knew that the village needed their Hokage and they would rescue him first before they would even think to save Mitsuki. Boruto threw back the bed sheet and ran out of the room, rubbing the tears out of his eyes as he made his way to the Hokage’s tower. He had to get his dad and Mitsuki back somehow.

Sarada and Shikadai looked over towards the window only to find that Shinki had disappeared. The two friends looked at each other. They knew that the Hokage needed to be rescued first but they couldn’t just leave Mitsuki in the hands of the enemy. They needed to figure out a way to bring both of them back.

And they had to do it fast.

* * *

Shinki jumped across the roof tops until he made it to where Mitsuki lived. He sat on top of the apartment and stared out at the moon again. He didn’t want to look at the stars without Mitsuki. He didn’t even bother to move when he heard someone jump down to sit with him.

“I figured you’d be here.”

“Why are you here, Iwabe?”

“After what happened today, I didn’t think you should be alone.”

Shinki gave a small smile to the other male and the two of them looked out at the stars, though it didn’t feel the same without Mitsuki. After sitting in a comfortable silence, Shinki finally whispered, “All I want is nothing more than to hear him knocking on my window… if I could see his face once more I’d die a happy man, I’m sure.”

Iwabe watched as Shinki frowned, he was more so talking to himself before but now the Leaf ninja was sure Shinki was speaking to him, “When my father told me Mitsuki was gone I died a little bit inside. I’ll lay in tears in my bed tonight because I’m alone without him by my side.”

The black-haired male gave a faint smile as he turned to face Iwabe as he continued, “Mitsuki really knows how to bring out the best in me. It’s… a part of me I’ve never seen. He took my soul and wiped it clean… and if you could have seen us when we were growing up then you might say our love was made for movie scenes.”

The Leaf ninja smiled at that, it made him happy to know that Mitsuki was with someone who truly loved him for all that he was. It was touching to see the effect that Mitsuki had on Shinki, he could really tell that they were in love. Shinki turned to face the moon, a single tear fell down his cheek and onto his clothes.

“But if you loved me… why’d you leave me?”

Iwabe was about to say something when he realized the words he had to say were those of false hope. He didn’t want to tell him that Mitsuki was okay because he didn’t know that. He didn’t want to tell Shinki that everything was going to be okay because he didn’t know if that was the truth. The Leaf’s Hokage was gone and so was Mitsuki. Mitsuki was just as important as the Hokage to them.

“How’d you meet him, Shinki?”

“He was my mission.”

“That sounds… romantic?”

The black-haired male chuckled softly at Iwabe’s comment before he continued, “He was on the swings getting picked on by the other kids in my village. It seems like didn’t like him in the village but he didn’t pay them any attention until they pushed him off his swing. After that, he made snakes come out of his sleeves and he scared them off.”

“That sounds about right.”

“Tell me, how did he befriend you, Iwabe?”

Iwabe seemed to shiver at the thought but he quickly pushed past it. He had a soft smile on his face as he answered, “I was kicking Boruto’s ass when we were sparring against each other. Sarada and Mitsuki tagged along and right after I beat Boruto, Mitsuki asked to take me on next. Now, there I was thinking that there’s no way some little thing like him could beat me but… “

“You lost, didn’t you?”

Iwabe had a sheepish smile on his face as he rubbed the back of his head. Shinki just chuckled again, it seemed that Mitsuki had an odd way of making friends but at least he had friends now. Iwabe gave a soft smile as he stated, “You were dating him even while he was here… that must have been hard being away from him for so long.”

Shinki smiled as he made the iron sand take the form of a miniature Mitsuki. Iwabe was in awe as the little Mitsuki walked over and imitated Mitsuki’s closed-mouth smile that he always did. Shinki was smiling as he watched the little Mitsuki, “I was so happy to have him back in my life. I had just proposed to him after our fight because he’s the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

Iwabe blinked before playfully punching Shinki in the arm and grinning at him, “Congratulations on the engagement! I never thought Mitsuki would be the first one of us to get married but he’s always been full of surprises! What kind of a ring did you get him?”

Shinki smiled back at Iwabe, trying to hide the fact that the playful punch to the arm kind of hurt. Yet, he found that he really liked Iwabe. Shinki was glad that Mitsuki had managed to make Iwabe his friend. He meant well behind that whole tough guy vibe he was trying to give off. At the end of the day, it appeared Iwabe was a bit of a softie on the inside.

The little Mitsuki walked over to Iwabe and held out his left hand as if to show off a ring as Shinki answered, “I didn’t have an actual ring on me so I had to improvise. I made a ring for him out of the iron sand and my chakra so- “

Shinki froze when those words left his mouth, causing the little Mitsuki to freeze as well. Iwabe was confused but before he could ask if Shinki was alright, the other male shot to his feet exclaiming, “The ring! That ring that I made Mitsuki has my chakra infused in it! If I can focus my chakra there’s a chance I can locate Mitsuki! I need to tell Yodo and Araya and- “

Shinki was cut off when Iwabe grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop and look back. Iwabe had a determined look in his eyes as he stated, “If you’re going after Mitsuki then I’m coming with you. He might be your fiancée but he’s my friend. All of Mitsuki’s friends are going to want to come so don’t think you get to go by yourself.”

“Then the Mitsuki Retrieval Squad needs to move out.”

* * *

As Shinki and Iwabe gathered up Mitsuki’s friends and headed to the Hokage’s tower for Boruto, Sarada, and Shikadai, the three of them were facing a bit of a dilemma themselves. Sarada and Boruto were arguing with Sasuke on what their next move should be. The Mitsuki Retrieval Squad was entering the tower and they were making their way towards the Hokage’s office when they heard everyone talking and paused outside the room.

“Sarada, I know he’s your friend but we have bigger things to deal with right now.”

“Mitsuki’s a big deal, too! He’s a big deal to me and Boruto and to other people!”

“Sarada- “

“What would you do if it was mom and Lord Seventh in this position?”

Sasuke seemed to let out a frustrated sigh before replying harshly, “This isn’t the time for fake scenarios, Sarada. With Naruto being the Hokage I need to focus my attention on rescuing him alongside the other Kage. After we save Naruto then we’ll try to find Mitsuki and- “  


“He could die in that time, papa!”

Sasuke was taken back by Sarada’s outburst. She had tears in her eyes as she cried, “I know that Lord Seventh is a priority but so is Mitsuki! I know that you can’t do anything to help him right now but I can! I need your help to find Mitsuki and after that I’ll save him myself! I’m going to be Hokage some day but I can’t do it without Mitsuki!”

The older Uchiha’s eyes widened, so she wanted to be Hokage one day? He let a small smile slip as he realized that she had grown incredibly close to Mitsuki to the point where they shared the same bond as he did with his Team Seven. He shook his head at the thought, he wanted to help his daughter but he had to be reasonable.

“Sarada, you don’t even know where he is. I can’t help if I don’t know where- “

“I can find Mitsuki.”

The people in the office turned around to see Shinki, Iwabe, and the rest of the gang entering the room. Shinki walked towards the four of them as he went on, “Before Mitsuki was taken I had the chance to give him a ring made of my iron sand, as well as my chakra. If I can focus on locating the other bit of my chakra then I’ll be able to find Mitsuki.”

Sasuke nodded at him and motioned for the Sand ninja to do it. Shinki closed his eyes as he focused his chakra. The iron sand coat appeared to be moving around like it was trying to pin point Mitsuki’s location. Eventually the iron sand ceased moving overall and that’s when Shinki opened his eyes. He looked around, clearly frustrated with himself.

“I don’t understand… it’s like the chakra isn’t in this world but- “

“He must be in the same dimension as Naruto then.”

“Can you bring us with you?”

“I won’t bring you to where Naruto is but I’ll get you close to Urashiki.”

Everyone seemed to cheer as they would be able to rescue Mitsuki. Yet through the cheering, Shinki didn’t hear Boruto’s voice. He walked over to the blonde, who was gripping an old jacket that once belonged to Naruto. Boruto looked very conflicted and he really wasn’t good at hiding it.

The cheering ceased when they heard Shinki speak, “Boruto… you should go along with my father to rescue Lord Seventh. This is your time to save him. I know you want to come with us to bring back Mitsuki but we can do this. Your father needs you so go to him. We’ll bring back Mitsuki.”

“You can count on it.”

Once everyone was ready they gathered on top of the Hokage’s tower. Sasuke was with the other Kage, talking over what their strategy should be. Shinki and Sarada were with their friends trying to come up with their own plan. Boruto was caught in the middle, he wanted to be with Shinki and Sarada but he knew he needed to be with Sasuke to rescue his father. Shinki noticed Boruto and walked out to him.

“Go to them.”

“Shinki- “

“Bring back your father and we’ll bring back Mitsuki.”

Boruto looked surprised at first but then grinned, holding out his fist for Shinki to hit back. Shinki looked at the fist and then to Boruto. He looked back to the new people he called friends and then to his teammates, who were smiling at him and nodding for him to fist bump Boruto. Shinki allowed himself to smile and fist bumped Boruto back. Sasuke smiled at them, they didn’t even understand how monumental this moment was.

“I’m gonna go now!”

Shinki nodded back and went back to the Mitsuki Retrieval Squad. Everyone watched as Sasuke made two portals that would take them to Naruto and Mitsuki. Sasuke nodded for the Mitsuki Squad to go first, watching all the ninja run through without a second thought. Before Shinki and Sarada jumped through the portal, they held out their fists towards Boruto, who grinned and mimicked them. They smiled and then they were off, the portal closing behind them.

Boruto slowly brought his fist down, taking deep breaths as the Kage each jumped through the portal. The blonde looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder, it was Gaara. There was a gentle smile on his face as he nodded, almost as if he was trying to encourage him to jump through the portal. Boruto grinned up at him and then took off in a run to jump into the portal.

It was dark and eerie, that was the first thoughts that ran through the Mitsuki Retrieval Squad’s mind as they entered the dimension. Everyone looked around, as if they were expecting to see Mitsuki right away. Shinki remembered the best Sasuke could do was get them near Mitsuki but it would be up to them to find him.

“You’re up, Shinki.”

He nodded and concentrated on locating Mitsuki. After a minute, his head snapped to the left and he pointed where they would find Urashiki and Mitsuki. Shinki, Sarada, and Iwabe led their squad in the direction Shinki pointed to. Each of them were preparing themselves to take on someone who was considered to be an ancient extraterrestrial being.

As they drew nearer, they could hear a blood curdling scream that only got louder the closer they got. They could see a red orb as they got closer and soon enough they were able to see that Mitsuki was inside the red orb. When they made it to Mitsuki, they were expecting to be attacked by Urashiki by now but he was nowhere to be seen.

“So, you’re Mitsuki’s rescue party?”

They turned around to see Urashiki with a grin on his face, he was certainly going to have his hands full dealing with all these brats but he was looking forward to having some fun. He pulled out his fish hook, which instantly caught Shinki’s attention. The rest of them wouldn’t know what that was but he did because it was what was used to attack his father on the train when they were coming to the Leaf.

“Don’t let that fish hook pierce you.”

“Now why would you spoil the fun like that?”

“Give us Mitsuki.”

“You can have him once I’ve drained the last of his sage chakra but for now…”

Urashiki casted his fish hook at the squad, causing each of them to jump away. Urashiki grinned as he put his hand up, “You all want your friend back so badly so here! Why don’t you get a little taste of his own jutsu!”

Sarada jumped forward when he saw the snake lightning coming at them, combatting the jutsu with her own lightning style attack. There was an explosion and everyone but Sarada was knocked back from the aftermath of the explosion. Sarada activated her sharingan, trying to find where Urashiki was in all the fog. She cried out when he shot forward and punched her into a rock.

Everyone gasped when they saw that he had activated his Byakugan. He could see all of their chakra points and could easily shut them down from the inside whenever he wanted now. Everyone braced themselves as he floated around them as if he was trying to pick which one of them he wanted to pick a fight with first.

Shikadai ran towards Shinki, whispering a plan into his ear. They weren’t much of a threat to Urashiki, especially if they couldn’t use their ninjutsu against him. They would have to stick to mainly using taijutsu and kenjutsu. Shinki nodded back before stating, “Iwabe, Metal, Araya, and Inojin, it’s up to you guys. Everyone else, we’ll provide cover and support for them.”

Metal nodded and Inojin pulled out his blade from his holster. Araya grabbed his staff and took a deep breath, calming his nerves before battle. Iwabe smirked as he smashed his bo staff into the ground, causing Urashiki to look in his direction. Finally, someone who wanted to amuse him. Urashiki floated down to the ground and took off towards Iwabe.

Urashiki was mainly on the offense, sending powerful kicks and punches towards Iwabe. The human grit his teeth as he blocked each attack, wanting to get an attack in but he didn’t see much of an opportunity. Iwabe’s eyes widened when Urashiki was about to land a blow to his side but it was stopped by Metal. Iwabe grinned as Araya threw Inojin at Urashiki, landing a clean kick to his chest to knock him back.

The four of them stood in battle ready stances, watching as Urashiki was laughing as he pulled himself out of the rock. Urashiki was grinning, this was going to be fun for him. He loved when people thought that he was outnumbered. Once he finished off these four he was going to steal Wasabi’s medical ninjutsu that she was using on Sarada.

Urashiki flew at the four, engaging them in hand to hand combat and then avoiding blades and staffs. Through it all, he kept that arrogant smile on his face. Shinki watched as his friends would get knocked back but then they’d get right back up and fight again. He couldn’t help but smile a little as he watched how all these people would come together just for Mitsuki.

“Namida, you’re up now.”

She nodded and ran towards the battle, waiting for her moment to launch her attack. The four ninja noticed her presence and jumped back, quickly putting their ear plugs in to avoid getting hit. Urashiki looked at the four in confusion before holding his ears and screaming as Namida let out a screech that was near deafening.

“Shikadai, you’re up!”

Namida jumped back to avoid the shadow that was sneaking towards Urashiki’s form. Urashiki grit his teeth as he felt something grab onto him and hold him in place. His ears were ringing but he could hear Shinki stating, “You’re too arrogant. The four of them were merely a distraction so we could launch our next attack and you fell for it.”

Shikadai was slowly started to sweat as he forced Urashiki to release the jutsu used to drain Mitsuki. Shinki raced towards him and grabbed him just as he was about to fall to the ground. Mitsuki was breathing heavily but managed to look up at Shinki, a pained smile was on his face.

“Y-You c-came…”

“I told you I’d always find my way back to you, love.”

Urashiki was losing this battle and he was going to be defeated if he didn’t use some of Mitsuki’s sage chakra now. Suddenly, Urashiki’s body was enveloped in green chakra, easily breaking off Shikadai’s jutsu. Shikadai fell to his knees and was about to get hit with a punch when someone stood in his way and blocked the attack.

Mitsuki was in front of Shikadai in his sage mode, yet he was in bad shape. His breathing was frantic and Urashiki was surprised that he even had some sage chakra left. Urashiki jumped back, watching as Mitsuki fell to his hands and knees, coughing out blood while doing so. Urashiki wanted to grin but his face refused to let him do that.

“Mitsuki, you’re in no condition to be fighting!”

“I’m… the only one… who can fight him…”

“Not without us.”

Shinki helped his lover to his feet, allowing Mitsuki to finally see all the people who had come to save him. His eyes widened as he saw all of his friends and even Shinki’s teammates. All of these people had come to save him. Mitsuki smiled as he bowed to his friends. They didn’t know how much this meant to him.

Mitsuki was relying on Shinki to hold him up as he stated firmly, “I’m the only one fast enough to keep up with him right now. If you all can perform the same jutsu he did to me then we can not only take back my chakra but render him defenseless enough to finish him off. When the opportunity comes… launch the sealing jutsu.”

Everyone nodded and watched as Mitsuki staggered forward without Shinki. He didn’t have much sage chakra to go off of but it would have to be enough to hold Urashiki off until the right moment. Urashiki and Mitsuki ran at each other, engaging in such quick attacks that not even Sarada could keep up with watching them.

Mitsuki went in to punch Urashiki but the other male grabbed the fist. Urashiki tried to punch Mitsuki but the blue haired male managed to catch it. Urashiki grinned as he spoke, “You know you can’t beat me, Mitsuki. You’ve been drained of almost all of your sage chakra.”

Mitsuki was brought down to one knee, overpowered by the strength Urashiki had compared to him. The blue haired male was shaking trying to hold him off but found himself getting kicked into the ground. Mitsuki struggled to get to his hands and knees but was punched by Urashiki. Mitsuki flew back, hitting the ground multiple times before sliding to a stop on the ground.

Shinki wanted nothing more than to run out there and protect Mitsuki but he felt Iwabe’s hand on his shoulder. Shinki took a breath and nodded back, watching as Urashiki walked towards Mitsuki. He picked up the smaller male by the front of his shirt, smiling down at Mitsuki as the yellow eyed male gripped his wrist.

“I don’t want to have to kill you, Mitsuki.”

“You couldn’t even if you wanted to.”

Urashiki gave a confused look before he felt something wrap around his neck. He dropped Mitsuki, clawing at the arm that was wrapped around his neck. He looked down to see that Mitsuki had the ability to stretch out his arms. One of Mitsuki’s arms was choking him but it wasn’t going to be strong enough to kill him. As Urashiki was starting to unravel the arm, he heard Mitsuki call out to the others.

“You have to do it now!”

Urashiki’s eyes widened as he saw all the ninja make hand signs, this wasn’t good. He grabbed Mitsuki’s arm and threw him back into the rock. Just as he was about to run to stop their sealing jutsu, the red orb appeared and trapped him inside. Urashiki was screaming inside, pounding on the jutsu as if he was going to be able to break through it.

The Otsutsuki clansmen found himself floating but by his own free will. He gasped as he saw the green chakra dissolving from him. He looked over to Mitsuki, who had used up his sage mode chakra and was limping towards him. Urashiki took in how injured Mitsuki was but for once, he didn’t take any pride in what he had done.

“You know,” Urashiki gave a smile, “you really are different, Mitsuki. You and I don’t see eye to eye but… let me tell you one thing. It’s not that I couldn’t have killed you, it’s that I don’t think I would’ve. If I wanted you dead then you would’ve been dead a long time ago… but when I look at you I can see the person I wanted to be thousands of years ago. I guess that’s why I took such a liking to you.”

Urashiki winced in pain at the jutsu literally draining the sage chakra out of him. He had a few more things he wanted to say before he was completely drained, “I know you and I aren’t on the same side but in the short time I’ve had with you, even though it wasn’t all good… I think for once… I made a friend, don’t you think?”

Mitsuki’s eyes widened at that last part, were they really friends or was this some kind of trick. Urashiki smiled at him but this time, it was real. Mitsuki smiled back at him and put his fist out, watching as Urashiki did it back despite being in the orb. They had an odd relationship but Mitsuki couldn’t deny that friendship came in all sorts of people, good or bad.

“Yes… we’re friends.”

The red orb stopped, causing the green chakra that was absorbed to flow back into Mitsuki. Both males fell to the ground, both of their bodies had been through a lot. Urashiki grinned at Mitsuki as he activated his Rinnegan. Mitsuki gasped at the sight, so he had more tricks up his sleeve? If he had that the whole time, why didn’t he activate it? Urashiki unleased a portal and floated into it.

“It seems your team beat mine so let’s play another time, Mitsuki!”

Mitsuki smiled up at Urashiki and watched as he disappeared into another dimension. Mitsuki’s eyes were feeling awfully heavy and he could tell he was finally slipping into unconsciousness. He could’ve sworn he heard Shinki’s voice telling him to hang on before everything faded to black. Mitsuki managed to smile one more time.

“I think I've been gone from home for too long.”

* * *

When he opened his eyes everything slowly came back into focus. He noticed he was hooked up to an oxygen machine and there was an IV in his left arm. He slowly turned his head to see Shinki holding his right hand, looking out at the window. Mitsuki was barely able to squeeze his hand, trying to get Shinki’s attention. Shinki gasped and turned to face his lover, giving a sad smile at Mitsuki’s failed attempt to smile back.

“How long have I been here?”

“You’ve been unconscious for three days, love.”

“You’ve left to take care of yourself, haven’t you?”

“Boruto and Iwabe made me.”

Mitsuki seemed to hum in laughter at that. He tried to move but even the slightest of movements was extremely painful. Shinki noticed this and helped his lover sit up, even helping Mitsuki to take off the oxygen mask. Mitsuki took a few deep breaths before retracting his hand from Shinki and performed medical ninjutsu on himself.

“Mitsuki, you need to rest.”

“I can do it better.”

Shinki couldn’t help but chuckle at Mitsuki, it seemed he didn’t approve how Sakura had taken care of him. When Mitsuki was done healing himself, a frown etched itself on his face. Shinki leaned in, letting Mitsuki know that he was ready to listen whenever he wanted to talk. Mitsuki looked down as he asked, “How is the Hokage? Were you able to save him first?”

The dark-haired male nodded before answering, “Sasuke and the other Kage went to rescue Lord Seventh… along with Boruto. The rest of us went to save you but we wouldn’t have gotten there if it wasn’t for Sasuke being able to get us a portal close to you. We wouldn’t have been able to save you without- “

“Without the ring you gave me.”

Mitsuki was smiling fondly at the iron sand ring on his left ring finger. He stared at the ring before turning his attention to Shinki, “I probably wouldn’t have come back if it wasn’t for you and the ring you proposed to me with. I knew that you would be able to find me.”

Shinki tilted his head in confusion but wasn’t able to ask his question because Mitsuki was already reading his mind, “I know it may be difficult to understand but… I really did feel a connection to Urashiki. He kidnapped me and drained most of my sage chakra but at the same time he reminded me of myself when I was growing up. He was… lonely.”

The blue haired male had a faint smile on his face as he continued, “We had talked before he started to drain me and it reminded me of when I was lonely. When I was young I had my family but I yearned for more at the same time. He had his clansmen but he was far too different from them to truly call them family or even friends. He’s finally free now.”

“You have an odd taste in friends, Mitsuki.”

“One of your friends wears a mask all the time.”

“… fair enough.”

The two were laughing with each other but they were cut off when Boruto and Sarada burst through the doors. Boruto sprinted to Mitsuki’s free side and just took in how Mitsuki looked. He had a bandage around his neck and a big patch looking band aid on his cheek. One of his arms was wrapped up as well but somehow there was still a smile on his face as if none of it bothered him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t go with everyone to save you.”

Mitsuki hummed in laughter at his friend, catching everyone by surprise. He kept that smile on his face as he replied, “There’s really no need to apologize, Boruto. If you had come to save me instead of your father I would’ve been disappointed in you. You and your father never really got along but I trust that your mission to save him brought you closer, didn’t it?”

Boruto nodded uneasily, he felt as though Mitsuki should’ve been mad at him for not coming to save him. Boruto was the only one of their friends who didn’t come for him, hell, even Araya and Yodo went after him and they aren’t even that close to him. Boruto was looking down, clearly not satisfied with Mitsuki’s answer until he felt a hand grab his. He and Mitsuki locked eyes.

“If you keep sulking I won’t let you be in the wedding.”

Well, that caught his attention. Boruto paused for a moment before grabbing his hand and looking at the iron sand ring on his hand. As Boruto complained to Shinki how he could’ve done better with the ring choice, Sarada punched him in the arm telling him that they wouldn’t have found Mitsuki without the ring. Mitsuki and Shinki just looked at each other and laughed as their friends argued over who was going to be the maid of honor at the wedding.

“I was made for that role! Get it? Made because- “

“You’d be lucky if you got to be the flower girl, cha!”

* * *

It was that night Mitsuki and Shinki were sitting on the Sand ninja’s roof star gazing, as per usual. Shinki shifted slightly so he could put his hand on his lover’s. Shinki had a few things on his mind, but he really didn’t want to ruin the moment right now. He finally had Mitsuki back, even though he wasn’t even gone for a day. Yet, it felt as though a lifetime went by without Mitsuki with him.

“Are you unwell, Shinki?”

“Just thinking, love.”

“About what?”

“How in the world did you befriend the enemy?”

Mitsuki put a long-sleeved hand to his lips as if he was wondering how he did it. He smiled to Shinki as he replied, “He told me that I reminded him of the person he wanted to be many years ago. We talked before he drained my chakra and even though he was quite arrogant, there was a part of him that was… _human._ ”

“Not like us, huh?”

Shinki was confused as to why Mitsuki seemed to frown at that. Mitsuki’s face was unreadable as he looked into Shinki’s eyes and confessed, “Shinki, I am afraid I haven’t been completely honest with you. I never knew how to tell you or even when it would be a good time to say it but… I’m not… I’m not fully human.”

Mitsuki pulled his hand away from Shinki and put both hands in his lap and stared at them as he continued, “I told you that my parent is Orochimaru but… I’m one of his experiments. I was created in a laboratory and raised in a giant test tube until I was around five years old. It wasn’t long after I was born that I was given my first mission to the Sand.”

The blue haired male refused to look at Shinki as if he was expecting the other male to be disappointed or ashamed. Worst of all, Mitsuki didn’t want to look at Shinki in case a look of pure betrayal was on his face. Shinki had basically known him all his life and even proposed to him thinking that he was fully human. Tears flooded his eyes, waiting for Shinki to be mad at him. Instead, Shinki gently grabbed his face and made him look at him.

“I knew it… I always knew you were too beautiful to be human.”

Tears streamed down Mitsuki’s face as he let out a happy laugh. Shinki just smiled at his lover, as he used his long-sleeved arms to brush the tears away. Shinki didn’t care that Mitsuki wasn’t fully human or that he was created in a laboratory or even that he didn’t tell him for many years. Shinki understood how hard it must have been for Mitsuki to even know he wasn’t a real human. Mitsuki had determined he didn’t deserve Shinki but was thankful to have him anyways.

Shinki leaned in and kissed Mitsuki’s forehead, an act he didn’t do often so it held powerful feelings and meaning behind it. Mitsuki smiled at the feeling and gasped when Shinki looked at him and stated, “You really are the only one who can get me to lose myself yet you’re the only one who can put me back together.”

“What are you- “

“I can’t lose you again, Mitsuki.”

“Shinki…”

It was Shinki’s turn to remove himself from his lover. He sighed as he looked out at the stars and spoke, “When my father broke it to me that you were gone… I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. I didn’t know where you were or why you were taken… but you were gone just like that and just like that I was alone. I hated every second you were gone because… well, I like me better when I’m with you.”

He turned back to face Mitsuki and grabbed his hands as little tears came into his eyes, “When you were gone that’s when I knew I wouldn’t make it alone… I need you to hold. I need you to kiss me like you did when you were leaving, telling me we’re not over. I need you to be the one I promise to always come home to. I need you to be there never giving up on what we’re trying to do. I need you because you don’t count the miles that can keep us apart…”

“You count the ‘I love you’s.’”

Mitsuki smiled as he wiped the lone tear travelling down Shinki’s face. Mitsuki took his other hand back so both hands could hold Shinki’s face as he said, “One day… when we’re older… I want to look back on this, on us… and I want us to realize how hard it was and how hard we tried and how our hearts made it out alive. Other people don’t have to work this hard at love but we do… and that’s what makes our love so special.”

The blue haired male had a soft smile on his face as he went on, “At first, I never thought that you would be the one to hold my heart. But then you came around and you knocked me off the ground from the start. As we grew closer I couldn’t decide if I’d let you save my life or if I’d drown. I had hoped that you’d see right through my walls. I hoped you would catch me because when you met me I was already falling. My world I had was coming down on me and I couldn’t really find a reason to be loved…”

Shinki’s eyes were wide listening to Mitsuki. He never talked this much but Shinki couldn’t find it in him to interrupt his lover’s little rant, “I tried my best to never let you in to see the truth. Shinki… I’ve never opened up… I’ve never truly loved until you… it’ll only be you because when you put your arms around me…”

Mitsuki closed his eyes, causing the tears he had in his eyes to flow down his cheeks. Shinki hadn’t seen Mitsuki give a real smile in a long time but there it was. It was that rare smile when he allowed his flawless white teeth show. Shinki gasped when Mitsuki nearly whispered to him.

“And I’m home.”

Shinki rushed in and kissed him, instantly deepening the kiss as Mitsuki’s hands went straight for his hair. It wasn’t frantic like the kiss they shared before Mitsuki left for the Leaf. It was the kind of kiss that made your heart beat faster and made you feel the butterflies you felt when you were first crushing on your person. It was the kind of kiss that made you feel like it was the very first one.

When the two pulled away, they were a few inches away from each other’s lips. Shinki was smiling as he murmured, “All the steps that led me to you and all the hell I had to walk through as a child… I wouldn’t trade any of that because it was those moments that gave me the chance to tell you that I was in love with you and that I’m still madly in love with you today.”

The road ahead of them was never going to be an easy one. But if their love was this strong after everything they’d been through then that meant there wasn’t anything they couldn’t get through together. They were an odd match yet completely compatible at the same time. They were two introverts, two ninja, two people who had an unbreakable bond and a love that others dreamed of having.

“Never forget I love you, Shinki.”

“I love you to the stars, Mitsuki.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all once more for even being interested in this pairing and for taking the time to read this! I know this one is different from the first one, but I wanted to focus on the different relationships Mitsuki and Shinki would form without their significant other there. I also wanted some sad Shinki moments I'm not gonna lie... yet, I hope everyone still enjoyed it! I was going to put the wedding in this but I felt like that was just too much going on so I'm currently making a quick little MitsuShinki story about their wedding! I hope to catch you all on that story soon! Don't forget to give some love to this story if you liked it :)


End file.
